Jeff McDonald: Turning Bruce loose

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has long been one to pooh-pooh his own influence on a game or a series, preferring to put the onus and the credit on the shoulders of his players.

But there’s one adjustment Pop made in the Western Conference semifinals that seems to have altered the course of the entire series. After Game 2, Popovich called for a shift in defensive assignments, moving super-stopper Bruce Bowen onto Peja Stojakovic.

Bowen had been guarding Chris Paul in the first two games, and Paul killed him anyway. By moving Bowen onto Stojakovic, it essentially has taken away a significant alternate scoring option for the Hornets.

The thinking is this: Paul and, to a lesser extent, David West are going to score their points. The Spurs believe they can win anyway, so long as a third Hornets scorer doesn’t also run wild.

The third wheel the Spurs have targeted is Stojakovic. He scored 47 points in New Orleans’ two victories to start the series. With Bowen super-glued to him in Games 3 and 4, Stojakovic scored a total of 14 points, and made just 5 of 16 field goals.

In Game 4, not only did Stojakovic not make a 3-pointer, he was only able to squeeze off one.

Bowen’s success against Stojakovic is no fluke, either. He helped hold Peja to just two points in the Spurs’ lone victory in New Orleans this season, back in November.

If the Spurs do go on to win this series, it will be in large part due to this one defensive tweak.